Saturday, June 26, 2010

Breaking In.

When there is severe weather in the area, it's a tough decision to decide whether or not to break into local programming to alert the public of any dangerous weather.  Here at WLIO we cut in for two main reasons...  One is if the storms headed our way have a history of producing large amounts of damage.  The second is if there are tornado warnings.  Tornadoes aren't something to mess with.  Thankfully the three tornadoes we have had this year in and around Lima have been low impact ones.  All rated EF-0's. 

If we break in, it's because we think there is imminent danger to the public.  Sometimes people watching the interrupted shows aren't too happy with us.  In the most recent case, Darren and I stayed on for a little under an hour with tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms passing through the viewing area.  Our facebook page showed two sides of the story.  One group of followers was upset scheduled shows were not seen, while others realized sometimes TV needs to be sacraficed for the safety of the public, even if the severe weather isn't happening over your neighborhood.  Here's some of the comments from our page...

"Seriously... u had to breakin to SYTYCD? U couldn't wait 4 more minutes until the news."

"Maybe there are some who wouldn't mind be blowen away while watching their favorite TV show. When the weather news broke in - it gave us time to check on family. A warning is just that - a warning to have time to take action if need to. Keep up with the good job. "

"Way to go you have some one go on national Tv from this area and you have to screw that up... good job..... way to support your community.. i am really glad that 3 minutes made a huge Difference...."

"I agree....it is RIDICULOUS that people are upset over a stupid television show being interrupted....It shows a lack of intelligence and common sense....It is an embarrassment to our Community to have such moronic individuals who cannot understand the importance of early warnings and continued updates....Until you have lived through a Tornado....I would suggest it wise not to show your ignorance....3 minutes can make a big difference in a life or death situation...."

2 comments:

  1. When the tornado went thru Rogers a few years ago, the people were upset that they weren't informed, and some blamed the TV stations for not reporting. Seems best to go on the side of safety - if even to avoid a law suit!

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  2. Hi there! I stumbled upon your blog somehow and now I'm a follower =) I don't live in OH, I live in OK where tornadoes are prevalent and I don't mind at all when programming is interrupted for storm alerts. Don't worry about what other people are saying, it's better for you to have a clear conscience in the event that something does happen! Hope you have a great day! ~Andrea
    http://www.andreasattic-andrea.blogspot.com

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